It is completely possible to wheel while connected on 30's...
No one said it was the exact same experience as wheeling disco'ed on 35's

What if your disco'ed with open diff's and because of your flex you can't keep your tires on the ground..no traction... no matter how aired down you are

like with most everything, the answer is

It depends.

Disconnecting keeps your tires on the ground. Not disconnecting will lift a tire...then you lose traction.

Wheeling disconnected is not related at all with the size tire you run on your vehicle. Just because you run small tires means you need to run connected. Disconnecting your front swaybar also has no relationship to being a "hardcore" wheeler as you guys make it out to be. Along with airing down, disconnecting is something that's done to make your vehicle perform better and handle the terrain appropriately._________________04 Unlimited

one other thing that is being overlooked here is the wheeling terrain. yes in rocks and other large obstacle circumstances, disconnecting would help greatly.

most areas that i run here don't have large rocks. most obstacles are simply elevation changes in the trail. tree stumps and fallen trees. mudholes, loose sand etc..etc....

i'm not saying that you shouldn't disconnect. i'm also not saying that you need to disconnect. i'm saying it depends on trail/terrain conditions and vehicle conditions. now if you are saying that the only way to wheel is to disconnect, then maybe you still have a thing or two to learn._________________Been there, broke that

This is not as much of a big deal as I still need to get a "real" off roading experience under my belt. but for the mild things I do it is okay- for one because I have no disco's and second because I am blessed to live in an area without much love for OHV.

We can all agree that it is better to disco if you can... I bet someone has a story of why they had to connect before attempting an obstacle?

I wonder if staying connected while cresting an obstacle would be similar to a suck down winch??? any ideas?

What if your disco'ed with open diff's and because of your flex you can't keep your tires on the ground..no traction... no matter how aired down you are

If you're disconnected and lift a tire, staying connected is not going to help you.

JLS wrote:

I can't wait to get my disco's... next payday.

But for now I have to wheel mild terrain because I do not disconnect.

This is not as much of a big deal as I still need to get a "real" off roading experience under my belt. but for the mild things I do it is okay- for one because I have no disco's and second because I am blessed to live in an area without much love for OHV.

We can all agree that it is better to disco if you can... I bet someone has a story of why they had to connect before attempting an obstacle?

I wonder if staying connected while cresting an obstacle would be similar to a suck down winch??? any ideas?

Given that you've admitted you have yet to experience a real offroad trip, please tell me what experience you can base any of your statements on? Thanks. You can stop typing now. Try reading and learning so when you get a real offroad experience, you'll know what to do and be two steps ahead of the other newbies.

You also don't need fancy disconnects to disconnect. Check out those swaybar links bolted to your front axle. Get yourself an appropriately sized torx bit (I believe T-55 IIRC) and a ratchet wrench and unbolt them. Give it a shot next time you get 4-wheeling. You'll be amazed._________________04 Unlimited

Ehirner, the moderator, is telling everyone you cannot wheel unless you disconnect your swaybar and air down.

I must've missed that. But if you'd like life to be a hell of a lot easier than driving around the trails on 3 wheels with less traction, disconnect and air down.

paracutin wrote:

Why is this guy the moderator?!

Because unlike most webwheelers/keyboard cowboys/noobs, he has quite a bit of real life experience. Furthermore, because I said and he gives good head.

paracutin wrote:

You can't go everywhere and do everything a built rig can do but even a stock TJ is a very capable off road vehicle.

Nobody is disputing that. It just makes life so much more pleasurable.

paracutin wrote:

Ehirner, I think you need to try and remember what it was like before the lift, lockers, beadlocks, ect...

Airing down and disconnecting has nothing to do with lifts, lockers, beadlocks, etc. I could explain the concept to my 80 year old grandmother and she would likely grasp the idea. It's basic. It's one of the first things you should do before you start dropping a bunch of cash on your jeep because it's free.

Carry on and don't make me bust out the quote button again, it's a pain. _________________Nothing to see here.

"What if your disco'ed with open diff's and because of your flex you can't keep your tires on the ground..no traction... no matter how aired down you are"

Is this a mis-statement? From my readings, as limited as they may be (I will be first to admit that I am new to this-that is why I am participating. to learn.),

I though that the way the open differential works is that it passes the force to the path of least resistance. So that if you have a tire that is spinning and a tire that is not spinning, the spinning tire will continue spinning as the static friction of the non spinning wheel is less than the rolling friction of the spinning wheel. So if you are disconnected and one of your tire lifts off the ground the same situation ensues where the friction difference in the lifted tire and grounded tire are not equal and the lifted tire continues spinning while the grounded tire remains static.

What about the suck down winch. is this at all comaparable to connecting the sway bar while cresting an obstacle such as a steep hill top?

I'm going to shorten that a bit. With an open differential, both tires must be able to stay in contact with the ground in order to maintain movement. If one tire lifts off the ground, it will receive all available torque and spin continuously. Wheel spinning means you won't be moving.

Quote:

What about the suck down winch. is this at all comaparable to connecting the sway bar while cresting an obstacle such as a steep hill top?

No. A swaybar keeps the axle parallel to the frame. It basically prevents your suspension from articulating. It does nothing to prevent weight transfer to the rear of a vehicle or front coils from unloading when climbing hills. A suck down winch will help the front end from unloading and your vehicle from doing an endo down the hillclimb.

IIRC is an acronym for If I Remember Correctly._________________04 Unlimited

Last edited by ehirner on Thu Jul 20, 2006 4:56 pm; edited 1 time in total

Ehirner, I think you need to try and remember what it was like before the lift, lockers, beadlocks, ect...

I remember it well and pretty sure he does too. First time I disco'd I didn't understand why I didn't learn to do it sooner. What a huge difference it made in not only the ride when wheelin', but also the overall traction. Airing down, well I've had my bouts with laziness in that field and will admit it. I've paid dearly for it, too...especially wheelin' in the snow.

I've seen plenty of guys on the trails not disco nor air down, and personally it's not for me. I find it more challenging to finess my rig through obsticals than to ram the skinny pedal trying to use speed to make up for lack of traction. Any idiot can trash a rig. Not many can take them through obsticals and not break stuff (not to mention carnage). Granted, stuff will break...it's just a matter of time. But I personally don't enjoy breaking stuff like I did when I was younger.